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KC Native Joe
Carr Working for Peace in the West Bank
October 13 - Tuwani
From
Tuwani
By Joe Carr
 Tuwani is a Palestinian village of 150 people in the southern Hebron hills
of the West Bank. There are a dozen or so other villages in the area, even
smaller than Tuwani. These villages have been on this land for over five
hundred years, and have largely maintained their ancient way of life. They
build their homes out of stones, with domed stone roofs, or they live in
caves. They get water from wells, and survived without electricity, until
they recently installed a diesel generator which runs for four hours a
night. The village looks forward to the next wedding, as it is their only
excuse to party, but they love guests and have a phenomenal ethic of
hospitality.
In the 1980's, Israel began building settlements (or colonies) in these
hills. They have systematically expanded them, confiscating more and more of
these villages' farm and grazing land. Some of the smaller villages have
been destroyed entirely by the Israeli military or rampaging settlers. This
simple and loving village of Tuwani has demolition orders on every house and
building, including the recently built school and a partially built clinic.
Settler violence has terrorized them for years now. Settlers have stoned old
women and small children, destroyed crops, killed livestock, and poisoned
their water supply. The Israeli military is also involved, as they raid
houses, arrest young men, and frequently drive through the village in jeeps
and hummers at high speeds.
A month ago, our Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) group in Khalil (Hebron)
responded to an invitation to begin a nonviolent presence in Tuwani. We
teamed up with a faith-based Italian peace group called Operation Dove, and
the Israeli peace group Ta'ayush. Our initial projects were accompanying
the villagers as they defied military rulings. For instance, the military is
continually blocking and destroying the only road that
goes out of the village, so secretly the villagers take trackers and unblock
it, and then build a knew road where the other one was. If soldiers see them
do this they might behave violently towards the villagers, so we are there,
ready to de-escalate any violence. It is the same story with the clinic.
Israel forbid them to build one, but the nearest clinic is 45 minutes away
and Israel is continually destroying the road that leads to it. So we are
helping the villagers build it, and it's fun. The Palestinians post a
look-out for the army, and when a jeeps by,
we all hide or pretend we aren't doing anything, and as soon as they leave
we go back to work.
Two weeks ago, we were asked to begin accompanying the children from the
near-by village of Tuba to the school in Tuwani. The children have to walk
very close to Ma'an Settlement and Ma'an Ranch, a settlement "outpost"
intended to expand the settlement. Three days into walking the children,
five masked settler men attacked the two CPTers with chains and a club,
hospitalizing them both. Thankfully the children escaped harm. After that
attack, the military declared that road a "closed military zone", which bans
any non-settler or soldier from going there. So we began taking another way,
which is longer and has no road. Several days later, masked settlers again
attacked the group, this time hurling stones with sling shots, and severely
beating one member of Operation Dove. They also attacked the other CPTers,
two members of Amnesty International, and three Palestinian men. For more
information about these attacks, check out
http://www.cpt.org .
I arrived in Tuwani a few days ago to fill the gap left by the attacks. The
first day, we went the same way and hoped for the best. Israeli activists
worked to get the Israeli army and police to protect us, and we saw several
jeeps and hummers roaming around the area as we walked. But on the way back,
a commander named Ophier approached us and told us they would not protect
the children as long as members of CPT or Ta'ayush are
with them, because they believe that we are the cause of the violence. If we
leave, they said they would promise to protect the children, and that they
would be at the school that afternoon to take them home. The villagers
decided it was worth a try, but we should watch from a near-by hill to be
sure everything was ok. However, the army did not show up that afternoon, so
we proceeded to walk them home. On the way back, we were cut off by an army
jeep and out stepped Ophier. He informed us that this was now also a closed
military zone, and that we would not be allowed to escort the children. I
asked him what would happen if we did it anyway, and he said he would ask us
nicely not to, and then he would ask us "not so nicely".
The Palestinians, after thinking about it, said that they did not trust the
Israeli military (terrorists in their eyes) to protect their children from
the terrorist settlers. So we decided to escort the children "the long way",
which is a round-about journey, over mountains with no path or road, and
only goes kind-of near the settlement. This went fine in the morning and
that afternoon. An Israeli activist from Machsum Watch (checkpoint watch)
and a Palestinian community leader decided to challenge the military order,
and drive on the road that goes by the settlement. When they were stopped by
soldiers, the Israeli woman succeeded in getting a commander to promise to
actually escort the children, so the villagers decided to give it a try.
Yesterday, a man from the Israeli Civil Administration met with some Tuwani
community leaders. "Tuwani is getting an awful lot of attention" he said,
"what is it you want?" They told him of the problems of their
poisoned water supply, the lack of roads, and the issues facing the children
getting to school. He promised to get motions underway to build more roads
that connect the villages, and get them permits for the clinic and other
structures they need. This information is encouraging to the villagers, but
they have very little trust. Israel has learned from the U.S. how to make
deals with native people, so we will see what of his promises are fulfilled.
This morning, the children set off for school with a Palestinian man from
Tuba, but were confronted by a group of settlers with dogs. The soldiers
who were parked near-by intervened, prevented any violence, and
got the children to school. But of course now the children are too afraid to
use that road, and went home the long-way. Today CPTers and Operation Dove
joined members of Ta'ayush to help pick olives in the near-by village of
Quawese, where settlers often attack Palestinian farmers trying to harvest.
We will continue to try and think of ways to get the children to school.
"Kul mushquela, illhah hal," (all problems have a solution) so goes an
important Palestinian saying. I believe this, the Palestinians have
convinced me it is true. I have learned a lot from their perseverance and
creativity, they keep me strong, courageous, and hopeful. Seeing Hafez, one
of our close friends here, talk to Israeli soldiers is incredible. His house
has a demolition order, and soldiers have repeatedly invaded his house and
forced him to remove all his belongings in order to intimidate him. But when
we encounter soldiers, he speaks to them with courage and authority, he's
neither afraid nor overconfident, not rude, but gives no ground. If he can
stand up to them, so can I.
Thanks for all your notes, thoughts and prayers.
With love
-joe
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